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Survey: US companies added 281,000 jobs in June

Josh Boak AP Economics Writer

Posted:
07/02/2014 09:53:03 AM EDT

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In this May 19, 2014 photo, Micki Taylor, branch manager of the Mega Force Staffing Services in Kinston, N.C., reviews an orientation booklet with Kenneth Wilson, who is training to become a forklift operator, in Kinston, N.C. Payroll processer ADP said Wednesday, July 2, 2014, that private employers added 281,000 jobs last month, up from 179,000 in the previous month. (AP Photo/Kinston Free Press, Sara Pezzoni)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A private survey shows U.S. business hiring surged in June, a sign of stronger economic growth.

Payroll processer ADP said Wednesday that private employers added 281,000 jobs last month, up from 179,000 in the previous month.

The figure suggests the government's jobs report, to be released Thursday, could also show a significant gain from May's tally of 217,000 jobs. But the ADP numbers cover only private businesses and often diverge from the government's more comprehensive report.

Recent economic data suggests that the economy has shifted into a higher gear. Autos sold at an annual rate of 16.9 million in June, the highest rate since January 2006. New orders for manufacturers are at a six-month peak, according to the Institute for Supply Management.

"The job market is strong and it feels like it is getting stronger," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, which calculated the job gains for ADP.

The improvement in the ADP figures occurred mostly in professional and business services, a category that includes many higher-paying jobs such as accountants and engineers, but also lower-paid temporary workers. That category gained 77,000 jobs.

Goods producers hired 51,000 workers in May, up from 31,000 the previous month.

Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees added 117,000 workers in June. That partially reflects growth in the construction industry where smaller firms tend to represent a larger share of that sector, Zandi said.

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Economists forecast that the government's employment report will show that 215,000 jobs were added in June, according to a survey by FactSet. If that happens, it would be the fifth consecutive month of job additions of more than 200,000. The last time the economy experience that kind of job growth was in the 1990s during the tech boom, Zandi said.

Wage growth still remains a problem, despite the steady gains. Median household incomes remain lower than what they were in 2007, before the start of the Great Recession.

Steady job growth should cause wages to rise, but such growth could be modest. That is because many unemployed Americans left or were forced out of the jobs market during the downturn. As those workers begin to return, it increases the supply of available employees and reduced pressure on employers to increase wages.

"Slowly, but surely wage growth will accelerate going forward," said Zandi, before cautioning that "it probably won't take off."